1948 jeep scandal: It was first major corruption case in independent India. VK Krishna Menon, the then Indian high commissioner to Britain, ignored protocols and signed a Rs 80 lakh contract for the purchase of army jeeps with a foreign firm.While most of the money was paid upfront, just 155 jeeps landed,the then Prime Minister Nehru forced the government to accept them. Govind Ballabh Pant the then Home Minister and the then Government of Indian National Congress announced on September 30, 1955 that the Jeep scandal case was closed for judicial inquiry ignoring suggestion by the Inquiry Committee led by Ananthsayanam Ayyangar.

1996 Telecom fraud: Former Minister of State for Communication Sukh Ram was accused of causing a loss of Rs.1.6 crore by favouring a Hyderabad-based firm in the purchase of telecom equipment.

HDW Submarine

Bitumen scam

Tansi land deal

1992 Securities scam: Harshad Mehta manipulated banks and the stock market, pushing shares like ACC from Rs.500 to Rs 10,000. The stacked-up claims of the brokers were a staggering Rs 10,000 crore.

JMM Bribery Scandal

St Kitts case

1996 Urea scam: The scam came into light after a shortage of fertiliser in 1996 was reported, a clutch of businessmen in connivance with top officials of the National Fertiliser Limited, fleeced the Government of Rs.133 crore for the import of urea, which was never delivered.

CRB Scam

Anantnag transport scam

1971 Nagarwala scandal

Fooder scam

Churhat lottery scam

1980-90s Bofors scandal: It was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s and 1990s, initiated by Congress politicians and implicating the prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi and several others who were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India’s 155 mm field howitzer. The scale of the corruption was far worse than any that India had seen before and directly led to the defeat of Gandhi’s ruling Indian National Congress party in the November 1989 general elections. The Swedish company paid INR640 million (US$12 million) in kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials. The case came into light during Vishwanath Pratap Singh’s tenure as defence minister

Animal Husbandry Case (1990)

Bombay Stock Exchange Fraud

Hawala scandal (1993)

Bangalore-Mysore Corridor (1995)

Sukh Ram (1996)

1996 Fodder scam: This scam broke out in 1996 in the town of Chaibasa, Bihar when the animal husbandry department embezzled funds of around Rs 950 crore meant to purchase cattle fodder, medicines and animal husbandry equipment in Bihar. Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was forced to resign along with former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra.

Kerala SNC Lavalin power scandal(97)

Home Trade

Ketan Parekh Scandal,

Barak Missile Deal Scandal,

Tehelka Scandal (2001)

UTI Scam

2002-2003 Taj Heritage Corridor case: It is an alleged scam wherein 2002-2003, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati and a Minister in her Government, Nasimuddin Siddiqui, were charged with corruption. The Taj Corridor project was intended to upgrade tourist facilities near the Taj Mahal and was to be implemented during her tenure as Chief Minister.

Telgi scandal (2003)

DSQ Software

IPO Scam- karvy

Oil-for-food programme scam (Natwar) (05)

Human Trafficking Scam (Babubhai Katara)

Cash-for-vote scam: (2011)On July 22, 2008, three BJP members – Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora – had flashed Rs1 crore cash in Lok Sabha alleging that the money was given to them by floor managers of the UPA government to secure their support during the no-confidence motion after Left parties withdrew their support over the Indo-US nuclear deal. Amar Singh, the Rajya Sabha MP was at the heart of the cash-for-votes exchange. His home was the place from where the money was allegedly disbursed to willing MPs.

Satyam scandal

2G spectrum scam:(2008) : In 2008, the country issued 122 new telecom licences to several domestic companies that had little or no experience in the telecom sector, and at a price set in 2001. It is estimated that the spectrum scam led to a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the government.

Madhu Koda, laundering money Rs. 4000 Cr

NREGA Scam

CWG : Former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and nine others were charged for allegedly cheating, conspiring and causing a loss of over Rs 90 crore to the exchequer in CWG-related corruption case.

The Adarsh controversy had erupted with reports which alleged that the land belonging to the defence had been given away by the state for the society where bureaucrats got themselves flats. It was seen that even politicians and army personnel connived to grab apartments in this plush 31-storey Colaba building overlooking the defence area.

Coal scam: (2012) : The CAG report on the irregularities in auctioning 194 coal blocks created a massive uproar in political circles with the government being heavily criticised for causing a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to the exchequer. The government’s decision to not auction 194 coal blocks between 2004 and 2011 meant that the country lost a huge amount in revenue. The figure was initially believed to be more than Rs 10 lakh crore, but the CAG chose to keep PSUs out of its final report, bringing the figure down to Rs 1.86 lakh crore.

Tatra truck scam:(2012) The Enforecement Directorate had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in April, 2013 against Vectra Chairman Ravi Rishi and few other firms after former Army chief Gen V K Singh had alleged that he was offered a Rs 14 crore bribe in September, 2010 to clear the purchase of a tranche of 1,676 Tatra trucks for the Army.

IPL scam: (2013) Three Rajasthan Royal players, S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, arrested for alleged spot fixing in the IPL by the Delhi Police on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

ABC of Scams

A – Adarsh Scam

B – Bofors Scam

C – CWG Scam

D – Devas-Antrix Scam

E – Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) Scam

F – Fodder Scam

G – Ghaziabad Provident Fund scam

H – Harshad Mehta Stock Market Scam

I – IPL Scam

J – Junior Basic Trained teachers’ recruitment scam

K – Ketan Parekh Stock Market Scam

L – LIC Housing Scam

M – Madhu Koda mining scam

N – Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) Scam

O – Oriental Bank Scam

P – Punjab State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) Scam